The award was presented to him by the prime minister's wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor in appreciaton and recognition of his contribution all this while to the writing field and book publishing industry.

When met by reporters, Rais said his struggle in the writing field and for the book publishing industry was a civilisational struggle which must be continuous.

He said this was because books were an important element in building a civilisation and producing knowledgeable citizens.

"Therefore, the book publishing industry needs to be strengthened, so that we can continue to imbibe the spirit of nationhood," he said.

Also present at the ceremony were Higher Education Deputy Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah and Rural and Regional Development Deputy Minister Datuk Hasan Malek.

Earlier, in her speech, Rosmah said the country's intellectuals and thinkers must produce various types of books, whether fiction or non-fiction of high quality and world-class standard as Malaysia still lacked outstanding works that could portray the country's rich cultural background and civilisation.

She said they were also encouraged to write books on the country's history and local culture, as well as its experiences and views on various subject matters or on global issues to be shared with the international community.

"I believe that with the 1Malaysia spirit that emphasises such aspirations as pursuit of knowledge and high performance, our writers will be able to produce outstanding works for the benefit of future generations of Malaysians and the world community," she said.

The National Book Awards comprise six Premier Awards and 25 Industry Awards in appreciation and recognition of the contribution of the book publishing industry, besides injecting a new spirit into the industry players to produce quality books.